Service provider – vocational trainer for 80 youth with disabilities in Refugee

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Majeda Khoury – Syrian refugeeMM Team

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Manus Island ‘smeared’ by refugee detention

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Rwandan refugee set to graduate from UofL Friday

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We support refugees directly with periodic clothes and donations collections

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Refugees

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Nikola Benin MIGRATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA review of the monograph by C D’Orci «Asylum-Seeker and Refugee Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Peregrination of a Persecuted Human Being in Search of a Safe Haven»

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Sparrow’s RefugeeMobile Program Shows Smartphones Help Refugee Families Arriving in the US Resettle More Successfully

BOGUS BACKLOG BUILDS! — DOJ Politicos Use Trump Shutdown As Excuse To Shutter Most US Immigration Courts Creating More Backlogs amp “Aimless Docket PERSECUTION OF WOMEN IN CENTRAL AMERICA IS WIDESPREAD amp WELL-ESTABLISHED! — Trump Administration’s Disingenuous Refusal To Treat Them As Refugees Is Illegal amp Immoral! –“Homicides will only be brought under control when we teach society that women’s lives are worth more”

Angelina Jolie isn’t ruling out a run for office On Friday the 43-year-old Oscar winner and special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today where she

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Refugee and Service – Greece

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If I converted to Buddhism does that make me Chinese If I converted to Hinduism does that make me Indian When Khazarians Mongol Turks converted to Judaism in 740 BC and stole the true Negro Hebrew identity and turned them into slaves did that make the counterfeit Jews Hebrew Well the Jew World Order seems to think so They crucified Jesus Christ for exposing themThe invention of the Muslim Terrorist is the latest invention by the Jews to spread fear and dismantle governments that are not yet puppets of the Jewsor have decided to stop serving the Jews justifying raping the World and slaughtering billions of innocent genuine semite and gentile families in every country for power and control under the illusion of Freedom and Democracy Jewish Rabbi claims Islam is Israel’s broomWe control Islam and we’ll use it to destroy the west israel defence forces stole a pregnant donkey from a Palestinian family in Salfit and used her to train their dogs December 27th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ israel defence forces stole a pregnant donkey from a Palestinian family in Salfit and used her to train their dogs israel defence forces stole a pregnant donkey from a Palestinian family in Salfit and used her to train their dogs Jewish Sharia Law December 17th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Jewish Sharia Law The more I look at Judaism the more I see that Islam is a just a clone of Judaism And we can see why Jews keep bragging why their crime rate is so low — they just don’t report the crime! From a rare New York Times article one only has to substitute “Muslim” for “Jew” “mullah” for “rabbi” and “Sharia” for “Beth Din” to see that Islam and Judaism are closely tied in Sharia law tradition Ultra-Orthodox Jews have long been forbidden to inform on one another without permission from the rabbis who lead them… Members of this close-knit community who refer to themselves as the “haredim” meaning those who fear God reject modern secular culture and keep strict control over what they consider internal affairs For centuries disputes involving children marriage and business have been decided by rabbinical courts called beth dins which do not report their findings to the secular authorities even when they judge someone guilty Taboos codified long ago during times of persecution discourage community members from informing on other Jews violations can result in ostracism — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 Is the Judiac institution of Beth Din nothing more than Islamic Sharia Law Jewish Lawyers screw Christian men in secular courts get their own divorce in Jewish courts While American Christian men are being taken to the cleaners by Jewish lawyers Jewish lawyers have their own divorce proceedings done outside the judicial system they work for Their divorce and their child protective services are done in a Rabbinical Court called a beth din Perhaps what is good for Jews would be good for Christians in place of the plague of “no-fault” divorce Marriage Arbitration in one’s Church would prevent many needless broken homes and their resulting broken children Jewish media-Scribes attack without worries And from this same New York Times article one can deduce why Jewish media-Scribes have been able to impute scurrilous accusations against Catholic Church priests without anyone being able to accuse them of hypocrisy as in the Rabbi child molestation abuses which are hidden from public view Again because the serious and heinous crimes by Jews are not being reported to the proper authorities Catholic priests become prey to these killers We are not talking about the Jewish religious crime of working on the Sabbath not being reported — we are talking about the religious and criminal crime of child abuse NOT being REPORTED Now a growing number of haredi Jews in Brooklyn say they do not think they can get justice from the rabbinical courts which in several high-profile cases have exonerated people who were later criminally convicted of child abuse And although some advocates for victims contend that the district attorney has been too accommodating of the rabbinical hierarchy — a charge that Mr Hynes denies — more families are turning to his office for help Prosecutors say that since last year 40 minors have agreed to testify about abuse in court if necessary And Mr Hynes’s office has been asked for advice by prosecutors with jurisdictions that include other large haredi enclaves in the Northeast — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 Indeed Survivors for Justice founder Ben Hirsch confirms that there is abuse of children in the Jewish community and keeping it a secret only helps abusers of Jewish children Children in haredi families are no more or less likely to suffer sexual abuse than others according to several recent studies But Ben Hirsch founder of Survivors for Justice a New York group whose members include haredi Jews molested as children in communities nationwide said the clandestine handling of molestation cases had kept leaders from dealing with the problem and made it easier for predators — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 This site has said so much in its previous article — Rabbi Rap Sheet — “Religious Sensitivities” For Christian child abusers the abuser loses his job — because he is sitting in prison! Then after serving his time in prison he has the additional punishment of the Megan’s Law “Scarlet Letter” hung around his neck when he has to register as a child molester with the authorities reporting where he lives to one and all Not so with Jewish child molesters — who have “religious sensitivities”! David Zwiebel executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America a group representing many haredi factions offered the moderate view… he added that prosecutors should recognize “religious sensitivities” by seeking alternatives to prison to avoid depriving a family of its breadwinner or by finding appropriate Orthodox homes for children removed from abusive families “The district attorney should be careful not to be seen as making a power grab from rabbinic authority” Mr Zwiebel said — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 Does this sound like an invitation for abuse — Yes indeed ! And once again Jewish children suffered for the bad decisions of Jewish authorities Advocates for victims say similar views have informed some of the Brooklyn rabbinical leadership’s worst judgments allowing prominent rabbis who were repeatedly accused of abuse to keep their jobs and reputations In 2000 Rabbi Baruch Lanner a charismatic youth leader and yeshiva principal who was the focus of students’ abuse claims for more than 20 years — and was exonerated by a beth din — became the subject of an exposé in The Jewish Week which found more than 60 accusers The article led to a criminal investigation and a seven-year prison term for Rabbi Lanner Another rabbi Yehuda Kolko a grade school teacher at a Flatbush yeshiva was accused of sexually abusive behavior by parents and former students numerous times over 30 years The complaints were dismissed by rabbinical authorities however until New York magazine wrote about them in 2006 — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 Jewish Fatwa Muslim Mullahs are well know to issue Fatwas against anyone who demeans Islam in the slightest degree Simply drawing a picture of Muhammad is a death sentence Now we find that Judaism has fatwas as well In a Jewish Fatwa in order to obtain your death sentence all you have to do is report a credible factual crime of child abuse to the appropriate government officials …one rabbi mentioned frequently on blogs cites ancient doctrine that justifies killing someone who informs on a fellow Jew — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 One is left to assume that Jewish “justified killing” can be done by any means available not just by the standard Islamic method of beheading Fear of a Jewish Fatwa Fearing a Jewish Rabbi “Death Wish” Fatwa against him for reporting child abuse here is the troubles which one Jewish father had to go through before he would feel free to report the abuse of his 6-year-old son The father had to get a Jewish “Permission” Fatwa from a Rabbi just to be able to bring justice to his 6-year-old son For committing a “sin” in Judaism can get you killed When his 6-year-old son told him one day that Rabbi Kolko had sexually abused him the father said he resolved to go to the police because he knew that the Brooklyn hierarchy had protected the rabbi in the past But first he made a detour “I booked a flight to Jerusalem” he said “I made an appointment to speak with a very prominent rabbi” who had written sympathetically about abuse victims “He told me it would be OK to report this teacher to the police” the father said “He told me that if I reported him I would not be committing a sin” — Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Abuse Prosecution — by PAUL VITELLO October 13 2009 The War On Drugs hoax December 14th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ The War On Drugs hoax The real enemy is at home August 25th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ The real enemy is at home The Satanic Cult that rules the world July 22nd 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ The Satanic Cult that rules the world Why do Children go missing every year October 2nd 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ Why do Children go missing every year Jewish Blood Libels and Child Sacrifices to Satan Moloch The Invention of the word JEW July 16th 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ The Invention of the word JEW The word “Jew” is a relatively modern invention used seemingly indiscriminately and interchangeably by 18th century redactors to describe Israelites Judahites and Judaeans It first appeared in these eighteenth century Bibles and it first appears within these redactions in 2 Kings 16:6 … in an episode that describes a war between Israel and Judah: when Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel went to war with wicked Ahaz king of Judah The Syrians “drove the Jews from Elath” who were in possession of it and so here is the first time that the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah are called “Jews” when more properly they should be called Judahites However the point here is this: the very first time the word “Jew” is found in the modern Bible they are at war with Israel Edomites are therefore descended from Edom Esau whose descendants later intermarried with the Turks to produce a Turco-Edomite mixture which later became known as Khazars That is most of today’s Jews are descendants of this interbreeding that produced a race called Khazars who had once governed an empire called Khazaria Furthermore this hybrid race Edomite/Turk/Khazar who created the Khazar kingdom and who between the seventh and ninth centuries AD adopted the religion of Judaism And it is these Khazar Jews who are the ancestors of the vast majority of today’s Jewish people That is Edomite/Turk/Khazars are the ancestors of the modern “Jews” including the Torah-true and Zionist Jews who spuriously claim right to the land of Palestine claiming it it is theirs by biblical demands and ancestral rights Consequently the majority of today’s Jewish people are known as “Jews” not because they are Judahites and descended from Jacob/Israel but because their Edomite/Turk/Khazar ancestors in their Kingdom of Khazaria adopted the religion of Judaism called themselves “Jews” and arrogated the Birthright Promises and Bible Covenants belonging to the Israelites but especially those belonging to the Judahites Thus “Jews” are not Israelites and certainly they are not Judahites Hence modern Jews are not heir to the Bible Covenants nor to the ancient Nation of Israel given by Yahweh to the Israelites and the Judahites and so have no Divine Right or biblical mandate to the modern Land of Palestine Similarly Jesus of Nazareth was not a “Jew” he was a Judahite and Jesus Christ was not “King of the Jews” How the Jews swindle our Taxes and Economies July 3rd 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ How the Jews swindle our Taxes and Economies Jews behind every Terrorist Attack and Fake Muslim Groups June 23rd 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ Jews behind every Terrorist Attack and Fake Muslim Groups ISIS Israeli Secret Intelligence Service June 20th 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ ISIS Israeli Secret Intelligence Service How the Jews mock Jesus Christians and Christmas May 22nd 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ How the Jews mock Jesus Christians and Christmas Confessions of a CIA economic hitman Terrorist May 12th 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ Confessions of a CIA economic hitman Terrorist Are you a real Christian May 11th 2017 Jesus Christ ✝ Are you a real Christian Or are you led by the devil himself Israel The Promised Land of Global Jewish Organized Crime October 28th 2016 Jesus Christ ✝ PCHR Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 20 – 26 December 2018 December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory oPt for the week of 20 – 26 December 2018 Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protestors in the Gaza Strip 4 Palestinian civilians including a child and a person with mobility impairment were killed 142 civilians including 30 children 2 women 2 journalists and a paramedic were wounded the injury of 2 of them was reported as serious A child was killed and 5 civilians were wounded including a journalist in the West Bank Shooting: In the Gaza Strip the Israeli forces continued to use lethal force against the participants in the peaceful protests organized along the Gaza Strip borders which witnessed the peaceful protests for the 39th week along the eastern and northern border area of the Gaza Strip In the Gaza Strip the Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians including a child and a person with mobility impairment and wounded 142 civilians including 30 children 2 women 2 journalists and a paramedic The injury of 2 of those wounded was reported serious In the West Bank the Israeli forces killed a child and wounded 5 civilians including a journalist In the Gaza Strip the Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians including a child and a person with disability During the protest in eastern Shija’iyah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City the Israeli forces killed Mohammed Mo’in Jahjouh 16 who was hit with a bullet to the neck and Abdel ‘Aziz Ibrahim ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Abu Sharia 28 from Gaza City who was hit with a bullet to the abdomen in eastern Gaza and succumbed to his wounds hours later In the central Gaza Strip Maher ‘Atiyah Mohammed Yasin 40 from al-Nussairat refugee camp who succumbed to wounds he sustained after being hit with a bullet to the head in eastern al-Bureij refugee camp noting that he had suffered a mobility impairment since childhood Moroever Ayman Munir Shubair was wounded with a bullet to the back and taken to hospital where his death was announced in the next day morning As part of using excessive force against the peaceful protesters along the Gaza Strip borders during the reporting period Israeli forces wounded 142 civilians including 30 children 2 women 2journalists and a paramedic The injury of 2 of those wounded was reported serious Injuries in the Gaza Strip between 20 and 26 December 2018 According to the Governorate As part of targeting the Palestinian fishermen in the sea the Israeli forces continued to escalate their attacks against the Palestinian fishermen indicating the on-going Israeli policy to target their livelihoods During the reporting period PCHR documented 12 incidents against fishermen As a result 2 fishing boats were drowned in Rafah Sea in the southern Gaza Strip while fishermen who were in the area managed to save the five fishermen who were on board In the West Bank Qasem Mohammed al-‘Abasi was killed after fire was opened at a car travelled by 4 Palestinian civilians who lost their way while heading to Ramallah in “Beit Eil” settlement established on the lands of al-Bireh The Israeli forces claimed that the car travelled by Qasem and his friends “sped up towards the soldiers who were at the settlement entrance so the soldiers thought that the driver intended to carry out a run-over attack They then opened fire at the car and wounded those who were inside” The initial results of autopsy revealed that Qasem was hit with a bullet that penetrated his back and wounded the main artery and both lungs causing his death This has refuted the Israeli forces’ claims that the car was traveling towards the checkpoint as it was on its way back as confirmed by the eyewitnesses who was with Qasem and survived In the same context during the reporting period 5 Palestinian civilians including a journalist were wounded in separate shooting incidents Incursions: During the reporting period Israeli forces conducted at least 66 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 7 similar incursions into Jerusalem and its suburbs During those incursions Israeli forces arrested at least 38 Palestinians including 4 children in the West Bank Moreover 18 others including 2 children and a woman were arrested in Jerusalem and its suburbs In the Gaza Strip on 25 and 26 December 2018 Israeli forces moved 100 meters into the southern side of the coastline with Israel off “Zikim” Military base northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip The vehicles started levelling and combing the lands that were previously levelled amidst Israeli sporadic shooting Neither casualties nor damage to the property was reported Israeli Forces continued their settlement activities and the settlers continued their attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property As part of settlement expansion and demolitions on 25 December 2018 Israeli forces levelled 70 dunums in Amatin village east of Qalqiliya in favour of expanding the industrial area in “‘Emanuel” settlement it should be noted that 1200 dunums from Amatin village were confiscated for expanding the abovementioned settlement which was established as an outpost of 22 dunums on the lands of Deiristiya in 1983 and then continued to expand and annex hundreds of agricultural lands of Deiristaya Jeenasafout and Amatin to become of an area of 1240 dunums where 3200 settlers live On 26 December 2018 Israeli forces demolished a commercial facility used as a car repair shop at the entrance to al-Laban al-Shariqyah village south of Nablus claiming it was built without a license in Area C The facility belonging to Raja Daraghmah is a yard of 120 square meters and surrounded by a brick wall As part of the Israeli settlers’ attacks against the Palestinians civilians and their property PCHR’s fieldworkers in the West Bank documented 5 attacks that were carried out by the Israeli settlers during the reporting period As a result a shepherd was hit with a stone to the head and sustained a fracture in the skull Moreover dozens of lands were levelled in Ramallah and al-Bireh and Bethlehem and a mobile house was placed on the lands of Batir village west of Bethlehem in a prelude to establish a new settlement outpost in the area Efforts to Create A Jewish majority Israeli forces escalated their attacks on Palestinian civilians and their property They have also continued their raids on al-Aqsa Mosque and denied the Palestinians access to it: Arrests and Incursions: At approximately 02:00 on Thursday 20 December 2018 Israeli forces moved into al-‘Issawiyia village northeast of occupied East Jerusalem They raided and searched houses from which they arrested Ra’fat Tareq al-‘Issawiyi and his son Fadi and Ahmed Abu Remilah At approximately 03:00 on Thursday Israeli forces moved into Hizmah village northeast of occupied East Jerusalem They raided and searched a house belonging to prisoner Mohamed Salah al-Deen and then arrested his mother Kefah Salah al-Deen The Israeli forces interrogated her for few hours in an investigation center and then released her On Sunday 23 December 2018 Israeli forces raided al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City They arrested the Jerusalemite activists Nazam Abu Romuz and then took him to an investigation center At approximately 02:00 on Tuesday 25 December 2018 Israeli forces moved into al-Tour village east of occupied East Jerusalem They raided and searched houses from which they arrested Thaier Abu Sbitan Ameer Khowis Yousef Abu al-Hawa Mohanad Ahmed Khowis Mohamed Naji Abu Jum’a Mohamed ‘Ali Abu Ghannam and Yousef Abu Laban At approximately 02:30 on Tuesday Israeli forces moved into al-Mukaber Mount area south of occupied East Jerusalem They raided and searched 2 houses belonging to Omar Saleh Abu Deheem and Karam Raied ‘Owisat Around the same time Israeli forces moved into Sho’fat refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem They raided and searched a house belonging to Nedal Da’nah and then arrested him At approximately 01:30 on Wednesday 26 December 2018 Israeli forces moved into Baten al-Hawa neighbourhood in Silwan village south of occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City They raided and searched 3 houses belonging to al-Rajbi family from which they arrested Ahmed Eyad al-Rajbi 13 Hamza Zuhair al-Rajbi 16 and Yousef Maher al-Rajbi 20 The 3 arrested persons were then taken to detention facilities “al-Maskobiyia” west of the city in order to investigate them The arrested persons were accused of throwing stones and Molotov cocktail at the Israeli soldiers House Demolitions and Notices: Settlement activities and attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and property Israeli forces’ attacks: At approximately 08:00 on Tuesday 25 December 2018 Israeli forces levelled around 70 dunums belonging to Amateen village east of Qalqiliyia in favor of expanding the industrial area in “Emmanuel “settlement The levelled lands belong to Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Sawan and Rashid Hussain Sawan It should be noted that Amateen village lost over 1200 dunums of its lands in favor of expanding the abovementioned settlement from the southern side of the village Amateen village is an extension of Wadi Qena where “Emmanuel “settlement were established on an area of 22 dunums During 10 years “Emmanuel” settlement has extended and became around 1240 dunums sheltering around 3200 settlers At approximately 09:00 on Tuesday Israeli forces confiscated an agricultural tractor belonging to ‘Isaa Yunis Abu ‘Arram 44 while plowing his land located in ‘Ain al-Baidah area near al-Tawanah village south of Hebron ‘Isaa’s land is surrounded by “Avigal“settlement The Israeli forces confiscated the tractor under the pretext of working in military area At approximately 16:15 on Wednesday 26 December 2018 Israeli forces accompanied with a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration and a bulldozer moved into the entrance to al-Laban eastern village which is located on Ramallah—Nablus Street south of Nablus The Israeli bulldozer demolished a commercial facility for repairing vehicles The 120sqaure-meter facility belongs to Rajaa Mousa ‘Ali Daraghmah and surrounded by one-meter-high wall built with bricks The facility was demolished under the pretext of non-licensing in area classified as Area C Israeli settlers’ attacks: At approximately 10:00 on Thursday 20 December 2018 a group of Israeli settlers from “Ateret“ settlement established on Um Safa and ‘Atara villages’ lands north of Ramallah levelled agricultural lands belonging to the residents of Um Safa village Those lands are located in the outskirts of the village and the Israeli settlers attempt to seize them The village residents gathered and confronted the settlers Clashes erupted between them and continued for 3 consecutive hours but no injuries among Palestinian civilians were reported On Friday 21 December 2018 a group of Israeli settlers levelled a plot of land in al-Khimar area northwest of Bethlehem to rehabilitate 1-kilometer dirt road and access to a plot of land seized by the Israeli authorities months ago The Israeli authorities aims at building settlement outpost in the area Meanwhile a number of Palestinian civilians arrived at the area and prevented the Israeli bulldozer from completing its work Moreover altercations and hand-to-hand fighting occurred between the Palestinian civilians and Israeli settlers Following that the Israeli police arrived at the area and prevented Israeli settlers from completing their work On Monday 24 December 2018 a group of Israeli settlers placed mobile house caravan in the abovementioned area Local sources said that a group of Israeli settlers under the Israeli forces’ protection moved into al-Khimar area and placed a caravan as a prelude to establish a settlement outpost The local sources added that the Israeli forces prevented Palestinian civilians and the lands’ owners from access their lands it should be noted that the Israeli settlers built a settlement road few days ago but then the Palestinian civilians confronted them and prevented them from completing their work At approximately 11:00 on Wednesday 26 December 2018 Mofeed Shaker Hejjah 65 from Barqah village northwest of Nablus sustained bruises and wounds to his head after throwing stones at him by Israeli settlers Mofeed was attacked while breeding livestock in Bab al-Wad area near the abovementioned settlement He was then taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus to receive medical treatment When he arrived at the hospital doctors referred him to operations room because his skull was fractured Recommendations to the International Community: PCHR calls upon the international community to respect the Security Council’s Resolution No 2334 and to ensure that Israel respects it as well in particular point 5 which obliges Israel not to deal with settlements as if they were part of Israel PCHR calls upon the ICC to continue to investigate the Israeli crimes committed in the oPt particularly the settlement crimes and grave violations in the Gaza Strip PCHR Calls upon the European Union EU and all international bodies to boycott settlements and ban working and investing in them in application of their obligations according to international human rights law and international humanitarian law considering settlements as a war crime PCHR calls upon the international community to use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination through the establishment of the Palestinian State which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority using all international legal mechanisms including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine PCHR calls upon the international community and United Nations to take all necessary measures to stop Israeli policies aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem and at voiding Palestine from its original inhabitants through deportations and house demolitions as a collective punishment which violates international humanitarian law amounting to a crime against humanity PCHR calls upon the States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC to work hard to hold Israeli war criminals accountable PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their obligations under article 1 of the Convention to ensure respect for the Conventions under all circumstances and under articles 146 and 147 to search for and prosecute those responsible for committing grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions to ensure justice and remedy for Palestinian victims especially in light of the almost complete denial of justice for them before the Israeli judiciary PCHR calls for a prompt intervention to compel the Israeli authorities to lift the closure that obstructs the freedom of movement of goods and 18 million civilians that experience unprecedented economic social political and cultural hardships due to collective punishment policies and retaliatory action against civilians PCHR calls upon the European Union to apply human rights standards embedded in the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to respect its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights when dealing with Israel PCHR calls upon the parties to international human rights instruments especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICCPR and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights ICESCR to pressurize Israel to comply with its provisions in the oPt and to compel it to incorporate the human rights situation in the oPt in its reports submitted to the relevant committees PCHR calls upon the EU and international human rights bodies to pressurize the Israeli forces to stop their attacks against Palestinian fishermen and farmers mainly in the border area Fully detailed document available at the official website of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PCHR Search IMEMC: “PCHR” Source Article from Remembering the Israeli 2008 Offensive on Gaza VIDEO December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Rebecca Stead is an MA graduate of SOAS University of London focused on Middle Eastern Studies with Arabic with special attention to the history culture and politics of Israel-Palestine specifically and the Levant more broadly What: Israel waged a three-week military offensive against the Gaza Strip killing almost 1400 Palestinians and wounding thousands more Where: The Gaza Strip When: 27 Dec 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 What happened On 27 December 2008 the Israeli occupation launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip The Strip had been placed under an Israeli-led siege a year earlier subjecting the 265 square-kilometre-enclave to a land air and sea blockade Codenamed Operation Cast Lead this offensive began at 11am on a Saturday morning with Israeli Air Force jets firing on targets across the territory Ynet reported at the time that “80 jets warplanes and helicopters dropped over 100 bombs on dozens of targets during the initial strike” Among the targets were the small fishing port and the main police compound in Gaza City Aerial campaign Throughout the first week of the assault the Israeli occupation relied on aerial attacks to pound Gaza A report by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights for the week 24–31 December 2008 cited in the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict sometimes known as the Goldstone Report found that Israel “launched at least 300 air and sea strikes against the Gaza Strip These strikes targeted 37 houses 67 security and training sites 20 workshops 25 public and private institutions seven mosques and three educational institutions” Police stations in particular came under deliberate attack across the Strip The “Arafat City” police headquarters in Gaza City as well as three other stations were attacked within the first few minutes of the assault on 27 December The UN report states that over the course of Israel’s military operations 248 members of the Gaza civil police force were killed which means that more than one out of every six fatalities was a police officer Israeli Defence Minister at the time Ehud Barak claimed that there were three objectives for launching the offensive: “Dealing Hamas which since winning the 2006 Palestinian elections had governed the Gaza Strip a forceful blow fundamentally changing the situation in Gaza and bringing the rocket attacks against Israeli citizens to a halt” Barak ordered a “special situation on the home front” for all Israeli communities within a 13-mile radius of the nominal border of the coastal enclave which was quickly expanded to include the southern Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon the Israeli occupation also drafted around 6700 army reservists in case it decided to widen the operation Given that the assault was launched during election season all contenders halted their campaigns in a show of support for the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who had also launched an offensive on Lebanon just two years earlier Footage from the three-week Israeli war on Gaza circa 2009 WARNING: Content is extremely graphic in nature Escalation and ground invasion On the eighth day of the offensive – 3 January 2009 — the Israeli occupation launched a ground invasion of Gaza Israeli infantry entered the enclave from the north supported by artillery fire and fighter jets The Palestinians in Gaza it must be remembered have no artillery or other heavy weapons no tanks no air force and no navy They faced the full might of one of the world’s strongest and best equipped armed forces with AK47s The UN report details how the Israeli occupation tried to cut the Strip in two – bisecting the territory from Karni Al-Muntar Crossing in the east through Al-Nuseirat south of Gaza City to the coast – before focusing troops in the north For a further five days the northern towns of Al-Atatra and Beit Lahia came under heavy attack with the UN report detailing “Israel’s alleged use of human shields the alleged widespread mistreatment of civilians including detentions and transfers of large numbers to Israeli prisons in unlawful circumstances” Israelis use of chemical weapons In the later stages of the offensive reports began to surface claiming that the Israeli occupation had used white phosphorous — a chemical which creates a smokescreen for offensives but which causes severe burns and organ failure — during its attack on the people of Gaza The Israeli occupation initially denied these reports but investigations by several human rights organisations documented evidence to the contrary A 2009 Amnesty International report found that “Israeli forces made extensive use of white phosphorus often launched from 155mm artillery shells in residential areas causing death and injuries to civilians” Among the targets were the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA headquarters and Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City an UNRWA primary school in Beit Lahia north of Jabalia and numerous residential areas Amnesty explained that: quote “White phosphorus is extremely dangerous for humans as it causes deep burns through muscle and down to the bone continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen It can contaminate other parts of the body or even people treating the injuries poisoning and irreparably damaging internal organs” The rights organisation added: “Although using white phosphorus as an obscurant is not forbidden under international humanitarian law air-bursting white phosphorus artillery shells over densely populated areas of Gaza violated the requirement to take necessary precautions to protect civilians” Human Rights Watch HRW agreed with Amnesty’s assessment claiming that the manner in which Israel used the chemical could constitute a war crime HRW’s “Rain of Fire” report argued that while “white phosphorus munitions did not kill the most civilians in Gaza … their use in densely populated neighbourhoods … violated international humanitarian law the laws of war which requires taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm and prohibits indiscriminate attacks” Ceasefire On 8 January 2009 the UN Security Council approved resolution 1860 calling for a ceasefire in the Strip by a 14-0 margin The United States abstained in the vote The resolution called for an “immediate durable and fully respected ceasefire leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” It condemned “all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism” calling for “the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance including of food fuel and medical treatment” Both the Israeli occupation and Hamas declared the resolution invalid The offensive continued for another 10 days only coming to a close after a brutal 22 days “The ferocity of the attack was unprecedented in the more than six-decade-old conflict between Israelis and the indigenous Palestinians” the Institute for Middle East Understanding IMEU observed According to figures from Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem 1390 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead Among those killed were 344 minors and 110 women B’Tselem estimates that 759 of those killed in Gaza were Palestinians who did not take part in hostilities and yet were still killed by Israeli forces What happened next Donald Macintyre former Jerusalem bureau chief for the Independent said in his book Gaza: Preparing for Dawn that following Operation Cast Lead “It was impossible to ascribe ‘victory’ to either side” He argued that the Israeli occupation’s “bellicose pre-war talk of ‘crushing’ or ‘removing’ Hamas” proved to be “little more” than talk while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s claim of victory was “at least as hollow” Gaza however has never recovered from the 2008 offensive While acknowledging that its economy was already being strangled by the siege the UN report found that Israeli military operation “destroyed a substantial part of the Gaza Strip’s economic infrastructure and its capacity to support decent livelihoods for families” The figures speak for themselves: 700 businesses were damaged or destroyed with direct losses totalling approximately 140 million the agricultural sector suffered direct losses worth 170 million and over 3354 houses were completely destroyed with a further 11112 partially damaged according to figures from the United Nations Development Programme UNDP A separate UN report estimated the cost of Gaza’s losses and damage at 11 billion In the years since the Israeli siege of the Strip has prevented the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed during its 2008 offensive To add insult to injury Gaza has also since been the target of two more offensives at the hands of the Israeli occupation: the 2012 offensive dubbed Operation Pillar of Defence and the 2014 offensive dubbed Operation Protective Edge Almost 4000 Palestinians were killed during these three offensives Today 54 per cent of Gaza’s almost 2 million-strong population is unemployed while 53 per cent live under the poverty line in what has been described as one of the worst humanitarian situations in the world A decade later the Israeli occupation continues to shirk responsibility for its actions Earlier this month an Israeli court ruled against Izzeldin Abuelaish a Palestinian doctor who lost three of his daughters during an Israeli air strike on his home in Jabalia in the north of the Strip Abuelaish’s story was made famous after he discovered that his children — 13-year-old Bessan 15-year-old Mayar and 20-year-old Aya – had been killed while he was speaking to an Israeli TV channel his suffering was broadcast live across the country and later shared widely around the world Despite Abuelaish’s grief and the international attention his story received the court still ruled that Israel bore no responsibility for the girls’ deaths instead calling it an “unfortunate side effect” of the offensive Middle East Monitor/Days of Palestine Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers Footqge from 2009 offensive provided by IMEMC staff Human Interest 12/21/18 Christmas Tree Lit in Khan Al-Ahmar Source Article from UPDATE: Israel to Build 2191 New West Bank Settlement Units December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Peace Now movement stated Wednesday evening that the Israeli Administration Supreme Planning Council has approved the construction of 2191 housing units in West Bank settlements The movement explained in a statement according to Al Ray that 87 of the housing units will be built in isolated settlements that are located outside of the settlement blocs It noted that about 1908 units are planned to be built east of the Apartheid Wall in the occupied West Bank and 283 units in settlements west of the Wall While the Higher Planning Committee approved plans for building 1100 housing units in the West Bank Walla reported that the committee seeks to back the building of 450 additional units The committee approved 150 housing units at Hebron Mount in the southern West Bank 300 units in the Givat Ze’ev settlement north of occupied Jerusalem 300 units in the Neveh Daniel settlements “Karmei Tsur” in Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Bethlehem It also discussed plans to build 129 units in the settlement of Avnei Hefetz 121 housing units in the Yitzhar settlement to the south of Nablus which is considered the stronghold of extremist settlers 55 units in the settlement of Tzofim and 42 units in the Alfei Menashe settlement The committee also discussed plans to establish two industrial zones near the settlements of Avni Hefts and Betar Illit Peace Now added that that two plans seeks to legitimize two outposts and grant them a legal status namely “Ibi Hanahal” and “Gafa’ot” while another plan calls for the establishment of a new settlement near the settlement outpost of “Mitzpeh Danny” in the form of an internal educational institution that constitutes housing Israeli authorities have issued plans to build 5618 housing units in 2018 including 4672 housing units in “isolated” settlements east of the Apartheid Wall This confirms Israel’s rejection of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Source Article from Israeli Agricultural Products Banned from Palestinian Market December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ The Palestinian government decided on Thursday to ban entry of Israeli vegetables fruits and poultry into the Palestinian market following an Israel ban on import of similar Palestinian products The cabinet said in a statement following its weekly meeting held in Ramallah that “in accordance with the principle of protecting the local produce and the Palestinian farmer in order to achieve the government’s policy of supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian farmers and in light of the unilateral Israeli decision to prevent the entry of Palestinian vegetables and fruits into Israeli markets the government decided to prevent the entry of all kinds of vegetables fruits and poultry into the Palestinian markets” Israel took its action against the Palestinian produce after the Palestinians decided not to allow into their markets live sheep imported by Israelis in order to protect the local livestock farmers photo: Getty Images Source Article from Israelis Pitch Tents in Jordan Valley December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Israeli settlers erected tents to the east of Khallet in the northern Jordan Valley on Wednesday Arif Daraghmeh a human rights activist said that settlers pitched tents east of Khallet Makhoul setting up camp for themselves and a number of sheep they had taken with them The camp has incited fears among local Palestinians “that these tents will become a new settlement” In similar situations prior to this these camps start off as caravans that evolve into illegal settlement outposts on Palestinian land the first sign of the establishment of official settlements The Jordan Valley is a sparsely populated land rich in fertile soil with the promise of potential However for the most part Palestinians have been stripped of the right to realize this potential Although it is part of the West Bank the majority of the area is controlled by Israeli occupation authorities whereas around 85 of it is inaccessible to Palestinians B’tselem reported last year Around 20 illegal Israeli settlements have already been established in the Jordan Valley so far according to the PNN They are usually set up by settlers under the protection of the Israeli occupation army With the announcement of thousands of new settlement units across the West Bank being approved by the Knesset it seems the threat of this most recent Israeli caravan is further imminent suppression of the Palestinian people 12/28/18 UPDATE: Israel to Build 2191 New West Bank Settlement Units Source Article from Newsweek gets Russia experts from the Atlantic Council the Atlantic Council amp the Atlantic Council December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Well it turns out there is — and that list can be found on the website of the Atlantic Council — a think tank well-known for its ceaseless and enormous hostility toward Russia Wherever there is an opportunity to throw balance and fairness to the wind in a story concerning Russia an Atlantic Council analyst will always show up to lend a hand You see experts and analysts bring the believability and legitimacy to a story if the expert said it that must count for something is the general theory These ‘experts’ provide journalists with insight into the issues and places they report on — so a journalist covering say Eastern Europe and Russia would make it their business to cultivate a list of people who know a little something about that region’s political economic social and cultural landscape who they can then approach for analysis on various stories and topics Usually it’s a good idea too to take these experts from a broad spectrum of society and political thought so that readers are given a well-rounded and balanced view of a particular issue Also on rtcom Your guide to top anti-Russia think tanks in US amp who funds them Or you could scrap all that and just choose from the same pool of people who think exactly the same way — in this case the Atlantic Council — over and over again Much handier…and sure who’s going to notice anyway That seems to be the modus operandi for a number of journalists on the Russia beat Atlantic Council ‘analysis’ is prevalent across the entire Russia-focused Western media but Newsweek seems to have a particular problem with over-reliance on the US-government and arms manufacturer-funded think tank First let’s look at a recent story about a top Russian official who claimed “without evidence” that the Ukrainian government supports and is supported by far-right groups — and that the United States has turned a blind eye to neo-Nazism in Ukraine The report’s author Cristina Maza quoted Nikolai Patrushev the head of Russia’s Security Council and former head of the FSB in an interview with Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta saying that Nazi symbolism rhetoric of ethnic superiority and Russophobic ideas had become “an integral part of Kiev’s state policy” and accusing Washington of “closing its eyes” to the links between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and far-right groups in the country In an effort to debunk those claims Maza asked two experts — and the experts told her that this is not true that it is just “misleading” propaganda “in line with the Kremlin’s efforts to spread misinformation” You won’t be surprised to learn that the experts in question both work for the Atlantic Council “Poroshenko gets no benefit from far-right activities in Ukraine which are minimal” former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst who now heads the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center tells Maza In fact “right-wing extremism is quite weak in Ukraine” according to Herbst Ukrainian writer Maxim Eristavi tells Maza that there is indeed far-right activity in Ukraine but that Poroshenko himself is the “last person” in the government who would have any links to that kind of thing What a coincidence Eristavi is also an Atlantic Council expert — or a ‘nonresident senior fellow’ to be exact But Newsweek didn’t see fit to inform its readers that both of the experts cited work for the same think tank which is notoriously hostile to Russia Unfortunately many a reader of publications like Newsweek won’t know just how partisan and ideologically-driven this think tank and its esteemed experts actually are For the general interest reader if experts providing comment and analysis have authoritative sounding titles like ‘resident senior fellow’ and ‘distinguished fellow’ they will sound sufficiently scholarly and trustworthy on paper So having put to bed any notions that Poroshenko himself might be ignoring or tacitly condoning neo-Nazism in Ukraine the story quickly pivots to ties between American and Russian far-right groups The story then wraps up by admitting that in fact yes far-right groups in Ukraine the notorious Azov battalion for example do receive support from American white supremacist groups and that members of the Ukrainian government do indeed have close links to the far-right It’s at this juncture that it becomes clear that entire point of the story was to cleanse the pro-US Poroshenko personally of any unhelpful ideas about how his government turns a blind eye to dangerous far-right nationalism in the run-up to the country’s presidential election in March We couldn’t have readers thinking that Washington or one of its so-called European allies was using far-right nationalism and white supremacy to its advantage now could we Unfortunately for Newsweek however the growing problem of untackled neo-Nazism and its links to Ukrainian government figures has been well-known for quite a while Earlier this year 50 members of the US Congress wrote to the US Deputy Secretary of State worrying that new Ukrainian legislation “glorifies Nazi collaborators” of World War II and that much of the glorification of Nazis in Ukraine was “government-supported” Around the same time the BBC aired a program highlighting the links between far-right militias and the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Now last time I checked Poroshenko was the president which makes Newsweek’s effort to absolve him of any responsibility quite a bit of a head-scratcher This is not just a one-off case of Atlantic-Council-heavy sourcing however Curious readers of the Newsweek story might want to learn a bit more about Ukraine and helpfully there is a link to another article by the same author included in the text In that story readers were told that Russia might be preparing to launch a military attack on Ukraine over the Christmas period Also on rtcom Atlantic Council fellow says US should send ships to Azov Sea illegally after Kerch standoff Here the Atlantic Council’s Herbst appears again informing readers that Russia “likes to commit aggression when the world is not paying attention” The second expert cited in the article is Michael Carpenter a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense who offers Newsweek readers a military perspective and explains that Ukraine would not be prepared for a standoff with Russia Carpenter you guessed it also happens to be a ‘nonresident senior fellow’ at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center the same one headed by Herbst Later in the story another expert pops in to suggest that during this alleged upcoming offensive Russia might be aiming to go “all the way to the borders of Moldova” That expert is Ariel Cohen a senior fellow at wait for it…the Atlantic Council Probably just a coincidence right In September Maza reported on claims from Moscow that Ukraine’s intelligence services had collaborated with Islamic State fighters Ex-ambassador Herbst was there as ever to tell Newsweek that this was all just “Kremlin propaganda” This time he was joined by Daniel Vajdich another ‘nonresident senior fellow’ at the Atlantic Council who said essentially the same thing If Maza had ventured away from her old reliables at the Atlantic Council she might have found information on the Ukraine-linked jihadists who later told the UK Times that they trained at Islamic State camps Also on rtcom We want to believe: ‘Russian hacking’ memo REVEALS how US intel pinned leaks to Kremlin In June Newsweek reported on rising anti-Semitism in Ukraine after the country’s chief military prosecutor Anatolii Matios said that Jews wanted to drown ethnic Slavs in blood Sounds bad right Well not to worry Atlantic Council analyst Adrian Karatnycky yet another ‘nonresident senior fellow’ and the only expert cited in the story was there to assure Maza and her Western audience that while there is a problem of antisemitism and vigilantism in Ukrainian society “in general the Ukrainian government acts to defend minorities from physical attack” To be clear the Atlantic Council is essentially a PR offshoot of NATO which has filled its ranks with fanatical anti-Russia hawks from across the US and British political and media landscapes while masquerading as a neutral source of expertise and analysis It is funded not only by the US and UK governments but also a bevy of arms manufacturers including Raytheon Lockheed Martin Boeing and Northrop Grumman — who clearly benefit from heightened tensions with Russia There is nothing even-handed or balanced about the Atlantic Council — and for Newsweek to act with such regularity like it is a dispassionate and neutral source of opinion when it comes to Russia and Ukraine is an insult to its readers’ intelligence Source Article from The devil you know: Old foes India amp China strengthen ties as America proves too unreliable December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Together China and India account for just under 3 billion of the world’s total population The decisions that the leaders of these two countries make is therefore relevant for approximately a third of the global population Whether or not these two regional players are on a path to peace or war is something the western mainstream media should pay its undivided attention to 5 tense moments in China-India border standoff While outrageously underreported in the corporate media India and China experienced a brief skirmish on the Indo-Tibetan border in August last year Video footage of the skirmishes shows soldiers kicking punching and throwing stones at each other on the border which appeared to symbolize a potential escalation between the two Asian powers The two nations maintain a tense border dispute with hundreds of soldiers stationed just meters apart India has also been rattled by China’s overt support and rising participation in Pakistan India remains unnerved by the 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC part of China’s Silk Road Project Reports have also emerged that China has been considering establishing its own naval bases in Pakistan even though both Pakistan and China have denied such a claim China has only one overseas military base currently in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa In other words China’s only overseas military base puts China’s logistical military hubs in the Indian ocean a constant source of tension for India READ MORE: America’s imperial hubris is pushing Pakistan into the arms of Russia amp China However despite this no such escalation has appeared to eventuate since the skirmishes in August In fact China and India have both taken steps to reduce tensions and may have found a middle path to pursue their conflicting interests As explained further below these conflicting interests are not to be taken lightly Also on rtcom Awakening a sleeping lion: The US-China Cold War is upon us Just recently Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took a four-day visit to India to meet high-level Indian officials including India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj It should be noted that India is China’s largest trading partner with a trade deficit in favor of China by about 63 billion during 2017-2018 Altogether Chinese President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi have met four times this year alone and India’s defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe have also met three times this year During these meetings China has agreed to some concessions including an agreement to increase its imports of Indian rice sugar rapeseed oil and pharmaceuticals It is also worth noting that China and India also just completed a joint anti-terrorism military exercise in the Chengdu area of China Trade war with US pushes China to sweeten relations with India Furthermore there are some suggestions that China and India may begin working closer together on the issue of Afghanistan as well Given the Trump administration’s surprise announcement that it will withdraw thousands of troops from the war-torn country this partnership between China and India may become a distinct possibility This is not to say that India does not maintain its wariness of China’s expanding influence in the region According to a recent paper entitled “From Denial to Punishment: The Security Dilemma and Changes in India’s Military Strategy Towards China” in Asian Security by Anit Mukherjee and Yogesh Joshi the power imbalance between India and China is no longer manageable China has rapidly developed its infrastructure modernized its military and taken a more aggressive stance at the border as seen in the skirmishes last year leading India to adopt some strategies of its own The result is that India will embrace a more active and offensive posture as opposed to a defensive one At the beginning of December Indian media reported that India was taking steps to counter China’s “strategic footprint” in the Indian Ocean Specifically it has approved the construction of 56 new warships and six submarines for its navy over the next decade One of the submarines will reportedly be from Project-75I a US12 billion initiative to “acquire advanced subs equipped with systems that allow non-nuclear subs to operate without atmospheric oxygen replacing or augmenting diesel-electric systems” according to Business Insider After instigating trade war America will have to dance to China’s tune – investor Peter Schiff to RT All in all Delhi’s strategy is to have 200 ships and 500 aircraft by the year 2050 Currently India’s navy has 40 warships and 220 aircraft with 32 warships already under construction At any time China reportedly has at least six to eight Chinese navy ships in the Indian Ocean Region In November India announced its first domestically built nuclear-powered missile submarine had completed its first deterrence patrol The announcement appeared to confirm that India had the ability to fire nuclear weapons from land air and from sea It is no secret that India’s strategy is to counter China in the region According to Admiral Sunil Lanba India’s navy chief India has “overwhelming superiority over Pakistan in all domains at sea In the case of China with the forces it currently brings to bear in the IOR Indian Ocean Region the balance of power is in our India’s favor” India is also taking part in negotiations to build a naval base in the Seychelles which is also in the Indian Ocean India’s navy is conducting patrols with the Maldives an island nation which could become the scene of a global battlefield as China India and the Gulf Arab states all fight for influence Lanba is of the opinion that the government in the Maldives currently favors India over China Conversely former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed recently warned that its monumental debt to China put his country at risk of a “land grab” China remains the biggest investor in the Maldives India for its part has offered to pull the country away from China’s influence by offering to provide loans to help repay its debts to China India apparently views China’s strategy in Pakistan Sri Lanka and the Maldives as a strategy of “encirclement” due to their proximity to the Indian Ocean It is for this reason that India is further keeping a close eye on Kenya as it allegedly falls victim to China’s supposed debt trap strategy – Kenya being another of India’s traditional and longstanding partners in Africa According to India’s Economic Times Kenya could lose the Mombasa port to China if Kenya Railways Corporation defaults in its payments to the Exim Bank of China currently at 22 billion debt owing It is also worth mentioning that India was also concerned that China was looking to build a military port in the Maldives as well US lawmakers alarmed with AP-Xinhua relationship… which started in 1972 Furthermore just yesterday reports also emerged that India has opened up a road-rail bridge in the northeastern state of Assam again with a focus on bolstering its defenses against China The project took almost two decades and 800 million for it to be completed Allegedly the bridge will allow the Indian military to speedily deploy its forces to Arunachal Pradesh on the border of China and has also been designed to hold the weight of India’s heaviest 60-ton tanks and accommodate India’s fighter jets India may have some other tricks up its sleeve in its bid to confront China’s expanding role in the region According to an OECD report predictions are that China’s global output will reach its peak in 2030 Conversely India is outpacing China in terms of economic growth According to the Asia Times between 2006 and 2016 India lifted more than 270 million people out of poverty and if this rate continues it will have eliminated poverty by the year 2030 By comparison China has already lifted some 700 million people out of poverty but will still have to deal with the issue of its slowdown of economic growth compared to India’s accelerated economic growth rate of 8 percent In other words in the years to come India and China will continue to have monumental modes of disagreement as long as they continue to exist on each other’s borders and continue to bear the same desire for regional influence However it would appear that the two nations have taken steps to address their disputes and find ways in which to cool the otherwise volatile relationship down such as the suggested cooperation on places like Afghanistan Also on rtcom China to mark economic miracle that pulled 700 million people out of poverty The other wildcard variable to take into account when analyzing what 2019 could potentially have in store for Sino-Indian relations is Trump’s trade war with China which could put India at an even greater advantage over China Yet at the same time India much like the rest of the world is beginning to learn that the United States is no longer the reliable partner that many countries thought it once was and that it cannot rely on Washington to mitigate its concerns against rivals such as China Like this story Share it with a friend! Source Article from Islamic State in Ukraine: A Christmas present from the West – George Galloway December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ The report in British newspaper the Times that Chechen Islamists many reeling from defeat in Syria and Iraq amongst the alphabet soup of fanaticism had indeed arrived at the war front in eastern Ukraine woke me up from any Christmas torpor An earlier report in the New York Times had revealed that the Islamist Chechens were under the command of the fascist “Right Sector” and were there to “fight Russians” because “we like fighting Russians” and “will never stop fighting Russians” ‘UK US look at jihadist groups as useful are they as against terrorists as they pretend to be’ For the Times at Christmas it was enough to quote one of their commanders: “Putin is our common enemy” A quote which of course could have come from the editor of the Times! While the report was a wake-up call for me not so the rest of the British media still less the British political class Tumbleweed rolled over the media spaces where fear and loathing should have been There was more interest in Strictly Come Dancing than the long bearded Islamist extremists who were now once again our dancing partners in crime But it was always thus When I returned to the House of Commons in 2012 after a brief absence I asked the then Prime Minister David Cameron if he had read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein And if so if he had read it all the way to the end The end in which the monster the good doctor had so carelessly created broke free from his control and began acting like well a monster On another occasion I was trapped in a lift briefly with the then Foreign Secretary William now Lord Hague I told him: “William you’ve been wrong before in fact you’ve been wrong all your life But you’ve never been insane before This policy of putting knives in the hands of Islamist fanatics and allowing them to go to Syria is not just wrong it’s insane” And one day I added portentously: “Such men with such knives will be in this building and looking for you looking for me” Which came true just three years later My powers of prediction in parliament go back much further however On the eve of the fall of Kabul to the Islamist hordes nearly 30 years ago I told the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: “You have opened the gates to the barbarians and a long dark night will now descend upon the people of Afghanistan” It was certainly not the worst prediction I have ever made Organ theft staged attacks: UN panel details White Helmets’ criminal activities media yawns If I had been around at the time I would have issued the same alarm call about the British state adoption of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt against President Nasser about British and US support for the obscurantists in the 1960s civil war in Yemen about Israel’s adoption of what became Hamas in Gaza against President Arafat about Western adoption of the extremists of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group against Gaddafi and many others I would have warned them all: “Read Mary Shelley read Frankenstein and read it to the end” The policy of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” is a deeply immoral one and one which has repeatedly failed yet is repeatedly repeated In the mid-1990s I gave a lecture to the International Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party about knowledge I had acquired through working with the Saudi opposition in London that someone called Osama Bin Laden had been oriented by the United States towards the Xinjiang region in China to agitate amongst the Uighur Muslim minority there to exacerbate their alienation from the state to take advantage of the weaknesses of Chinese State policy towards their Muslim citizens And to sow terror So novel was the name Osama Bin Laden then that the International Department cadres crowded round me at the end asking me to spell his name for them So important was my news that a week later I had to do it again for the deputy foreign minister of China Back in 2015 the New York Times was at pains to point out that the fanatics who turned up at Mariupol were “unpaid volunteers” and that neither they nor their Right Sector commanders were paid or instructed by the United States special forces there nor for that matter by US officials But that’s what they always say The US backs “moderate” fanatics only just like in Syria If you believe that I have a bridge here in London I can sell you going cheap Siding with fascism: Western ideologues pose greater threat to the West’s security than ISIS It was bad enough when it was the Right Sector itself assembled from half a dozen ultra-Nationalist groups like White Hammer the Trident of Stepan Bandera and the Azov Group which openly uses the “wolf’s hook” symbols of the SS These groups are open disciples of the anti-Semitic pogromists who fell upon their Jewish neighbours and murdered them during the Nazi Occupation of Ukraine There was no need to wait for the trains or the concentration camps And yet they became instruments of policy for “liberal” “democracies” An axis of evil formed between them and the head-chopping heart-eating crucifying killers of Islamist extremism must mark a new low in Western policy And the worst possible Christmas present for the Christians of eastern Ukraine Like this story Share it with a friend! Source Article from Trump comes clean… from world’s policeman to thug running a global protection racket December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ In a surprise visit to US forces in Iraq this week Trump said he had no intention of withdrawing the troops in that country who have been there for nearly 15 years since GW Bush invaded back in 2003 Hinting at private discussions with commanders in Iraq Trump boasted that US forces would in the future launch attacks from there into Syria if and when needed Presumably that rapid force deployment would apply to other countries in the region including Afghanistan In other words in typical business-style transactional thinking Trump sees the pullout from Syria and Afghanistan as a cost-cutting exercise for US imperialism Regarding Syria he has bragged about Turkey being assigned purportedly to “finish off” terror groups That’s Trump subcontracting out US interests Critics and supporters of Trump are confounded After his Syria and Afghanistan pullout call domestic critics and NATO allies have accused him of walking from the alleged “fight against terrorism” and of ceding strategic ground to US adversaries Russia and Iran ‘We’re no longer suckers of the world!’ Trump says US is respected as nation AGAIN VIDEO Meanwhile Trump’s supporters have viewed his decision in more benign light cheering the president for “sticking it to” the deep state and military establishment assuming he’s delivering on electoral promises to end overseas wars However neither view gets what is going on Trump is not scaling back US military power he is rationalizing it like a cost-benefit analysis as perhaps only a president would appreciate Trump is not snubbing US militarism or NATO allies nor is he letting loose an inner peace spirit He is as committed to projecting American military as ruthlessly and as recklessly as any other past occupant of the White House The difference is Trump wants to do it on the cheap Here’s what he said to reporters on Air Force One before touching down in Iraq: “The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world It’s not fair when the burden is all on us the United States… We are spread out all over the world We are in countries most people haven’t even heard about Frankly it’s ridiculous” He added: “We’re no longer the suckers folks” Laughably Trump’s griping about US forces “spread all over the world” unwittingly demonstrates the insatiable monstrous nature of American militarism But Trump paints this vice as a virtue which he complains Washington gets no thanks for from the 150-plus countries around the globe that its forces are present in As US troops greeted him in Iraq the president made explicit how the new American militarism would henceforth operate “America shouldn’t be doing the fighting for every nation on earth not being reimbursed in many cases at all If they want us to do the fighting they also have to pay a price” Trump said ‘We give them 45bn a year’: Israel will still be ‘good’ after US withdrawal from Syria – Trump This reiterates a big bugbear for this president in which he views US allies and client regimes as “not pulling their weight” in terms of military deployment Trump has been browbeating European NATO members to cough up more on military budgets and he has berated the Saudis and other Gulf Arab regimes to pay more for American interventions Notably however Trump has never questioned the largesse that US taxpayers fork out every year to Israel in the form of nearly 4 billion in military aid To be sure that money is not a gift because much of it goes back to the Pentagon from sales of fighter jets and missile systems The long-held notion that the US has served as the “world’s policeman” is of course a travesty Since WWII all presidents and the Washington establishment have constantly harped on with self-righteousness about America’s mythical role as guarantor of global security Dozens of illegal wars on almost every continent and millions of civilian deaths attest to the real heinous conduct of American militarism as a weapon to secure US corporate capitalism But with US economic power in historic decline amid a national debt now over 22 trillion Washington can no longer afford its imperialist conduct in the traditional mode of direct US military invasions and occupations Perhaps it takes a cost-cutting raw-toothed capitalist like Trump to best understand the historic predicament even if only superficially This gives away the real calculation behind his troop pullout from Syria and Afghanistan Iraq is going to serve as a new regional hub for force projection on a demand-and-supply basis In addition more of the dirty work can be contracted out to Washington’s clients like Turkey Israel and Saudi Arabia who will be buying even more US weaponry to prop the military-industrial complex ‘With almost 22 trillion of debt the US is in no position to attack Iran’ This would explain why Trump made his hurried unexpected visit to Iraq this week Significantly he said: “A lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking” regarding his decision on withdrawing forces from Syria and Afghanistan Since his troop pullout plan announced on December 19 there has been serious pushback from senior Pentagon figures hawkish Republicans and Democrats and the anti-Trump media The atmosphere is almost seditious against the president Trump flying off to Iraq on Christmas night was reportedly his first visit to troops in an overseas combat zone since becoming president two years ago What Trump seemed to be doing was reassuring the Pentagon and corporate America that he is not going all soft and dovish Not at all He is letting them know that he is aiming for a leaner meaner US military power which can save money on the number of foreign bases by using rapid reaction forces out of places like Iraq as well as by subcontracting operations out to regional clients Thus Trump is not coming clean out of any supposed principle when he cuts back US forces overseas He is merely applying his knack for screwing down costs and doing things on the cheap as a capitalist tycoon overseeing US militarism During past decades when American capitalism was relatively robust US politicians and media could indulge in the fantasy of their military forces going around the world in large-scale formations to selflessly “defend freedom and democracy” Today US capitalism is broke It simply can’t sustain its global military empire Enter Donald Trump with his “business solutions” But in doing so this president with his cheap utilitarianism and transactional exploitative mindset lets the cat out of the bag As he says the US cannot be the world’s policeman Countries are henceforth going to have to pay for “our protection” Inadvertently Trump is showing up US power for what it really is: a global thug running a protection racket It’s always been the case Except now it’s in your face Trump is no Smedley Butler the former Marine general who in the 1930s condemned US militarism as a Mafia operation This president is stupidly revealing the racket while still thinking it is something virtuous Think your friends would be interested Share this story! Source Article from Remembering Operation Cast Lead 10 years ago today December 28th 2018 Jesus Christ ✝ Photo taken during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on 28 December 2008 Rahim Khatib/Apaimages Today we remember the 2008-9 Israeli incursion into Gaza Operation Cast Lead which was launched exactly 10 years ago 1400 Palestinians – including 344 minors – and 9 Israelis were killed in the hostilities A UN report found that Israel’s military operation “destroyed a substantial part of the Gaza Strip’s economic infrastructure and its capacity to support decent livelihoods for families” A decade later little progress has been made in rebuilding thanks in part to Israel’s 2 subsequent attacks on Gaza by Rebecca Stead Middle East Monitor What: Israel waged a three-week military offensive against the Gaza Strip killing almost 1400 Palestinians and wounding thousands more Where: The Gaza Strip When: 27 Dec 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 What happened On 27 December 2008 Israel launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip The Strip had been placed under an Israeli-led siege a year earlier subjecting the 360 square-kilometre enclave to a land air and sea blockade Codenamed Operation Cast Lead this offensive began at 11am on a Saturday morning with Israeli Air Force jets firing on targets across the territory Ynet reported at the time that “80 jets warplanes and helicopters dropped over 100 bombs on dozens of targets during the initial strike” Among the targets were the small fishing port and the main police compound in Gaza City Aerial campaign Throughout the first week of the assault Israel relied on aerial attacks to pound Gaza A report by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights for the week 24–31 December 2008 cited in the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict sometimes known as the Goldstone Report found that Israel “launched at least 300 air and sea strikes against the Gaza Strip These strikes targeted 37 houses 67 security and training sites 20 workshops 25 public and private institutions seven mosques and three educational institutions” Operation Cast Lead began with five missiles fired from the air into a group of policemen undergoing inspection at a station in “Arafat City” a huge government complex located in the center of Gaza City Police stations in particular came under deliberate attack across the Strip The “Arafat City” police headquarters in Gaza City as well as three other stations were attacked within the first few minutes of the assault on 27 December The UN report states that over the course of Israel’s military operations 248 members of the Gaza police force were killed which means that more than one out of every six fatalities was a police officer Israel’s Defence Minister at the time Ehud Barak claimed that there were three objectives for launching the offensive: “Dealing Hamas which since winning the 2006 Palestinian elections had governed the Gaza Strip a forceful blow fundamentally changing the situation in Gaza and bringing the rocket attacks against Israeli citizens to a halt” Barak ordered a “special situation on the home front” for all Israeli communities within a 13-mile radius of the nominal border of the coastal enclave which was quickly expanded to include the southern Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon Israel also drafted around 6700 army reservists in case it decided to widen the operation Given that the assault was launched during election season all contenders halted their campaigns in a show of support for then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who had also launched a war on Lebanon just two years earlier Escalation and ground invasion On the eighth day of the war – 3 January 2009 — Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza Israeli infantry entered the enclave from the north supported by artillery fire and fighter jets The Palestinians in Gaza it must be remembered have no artillery or other heavy weapons no tanks no air force and no navy They faced the full might of one of the world’s strongest and best equipped armed forces The UN report details how Israel tried to cut the Strip in two – bisecting the territory from Karni Al-Muntar Crossing in the east through Al-Nuseirat south of Gaza City to the coast – before focusing troops in the north For a further five days the northern towns of Al-Atatra and Beit Lahia came under heavy attack with the UN report detailing “Israel’s alleged use of human shields the alleged widespread mistreatment of civilians including detentions and transfers of large numbers to Israeli prisons in unlawful circumstances” Israel targets an UNRWA-run school in Beit Lahiya Gaza with US-supplied white phosphorous munitions during ‘Operation Cast Lead’ January 17 2009 Iyad El-Baba/UNRWA Israel’s use of chemical weapons In the later stages of the war reports began to surface claiming that Israel had used white phosphorous — a chemical which creates a smokescreen for offensives but which causes severe burns and organ failure — during its attack on the people of Gaza Israel initially denied these reports but investigations by several human rights organisations documented evidence to the contrary A 2009 Amnesty International report found that “Israeli forces made extensive use of white phosphorus often launched from 155mm artillery shells in residential areas causing death and injuries to civilians” Among the targets were the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA headquarters and Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City an UNRWA primary school in Beit Lahia north of Jabalia and numerous residential areas Amnesty explained that: White phosphorus is extremely dangerous for humans as it causes deep burns through muscle and down to the bone continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen It can contaminate other parts of the body or even people treating the injuries poisoning and irreparably damaging internal organs Although using white phosphorus as an obscurant is not forbidden under international humanitarian law air-bursting white phosphorus artillery shells over densely populated areas of Gaza violated the requirement to take necessary precautions to protect civilians Human Rights Watch HRW agreed with Amnesty’s assessment claiming that the manner in which Israel used the chemical could constitute a war crime HRW’s “Rain of Fire” report argued that while white phosphorus munitions did not kill the most civilians in Gaza … their use in densely populated neighbourhoods … violated international humanitarian law the laws of war which requires taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm and prohibits indiscriminate attacks Ceasefire On 8 January 2009 the UN Security Council approved resolution 1860 calling for a ceasefire in the Strip by a 14-0 margin The United States abstained in the vote The resolution called for an “immediate durable and fully respected ceasefire leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” It condemned “all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism” calling for “the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance including of food fuel and medical treatment” Both Israel and Hamas declared the resolution invalid The war continued for another 10 days only coming to a close after a brutal 22 days “The ferocity of the attack was unprecedented in the more than six-decade-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians” the Institute for Middle East Understanding IMEU observed According to figures from Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem 1390 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead Among those killed were 344 minors and 110 women B’Tselem estimates that 759 of those killed in Gaza were Palestinians who did not take part in hostilities and yet were still killed by Israeli forces What happened next Donald Macintyre former Jerusalem bureau chief for the Independent said in his book Gaza: Preparing for Dawn that following Operation Cast Lead “It was impossible to ascribe ‘victory’ to either side” He argued that Israel’s “bellicose pre-war talk of ‘crushing’ or ‘removing’ Hamas” proved to be “little more” than talk while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s claim of victory was “at least as hollow” Gaza however has never recovered from the 2008 war While acknowledging that its economy was already being strangled by the siege the UN report found that Israel’s military operation “destroyed a substantial part of the Gaza Strip’s economic infrastructure and its capacity to support decent livelihoods for families” The figures speak for themselves: 700 businesses were damaged or destroyed with direct losses totaling approximately 140 million the agricultural sector suffered direct losses worth 170 million and over 3354 houses were completely destroyed with a further 11112 partially damaged according to figures from the United Nations Development Programme UNDP A separate UN report estimated the cost of Gaza’s losses and damage at 11 billion The Gaza Strip is the scene of a humanitarian disaster that has nothing to do with natural causes – it is entirely human-made a direct result of official Israeli policy In the years since Israel’s siege of the Strip has prevented the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed during its 2008 offensive To add insult to injury Gaza has also since been the target of two more wars at the hands of Israel: the 2012 war dubbed Operation Pillar of Defence and the 2014 war dubbed Operation Protective Edge Almost 4000 Palestinians were killed during these three offensives Today 54 per cent of Gaza’s almost 2 million-strong population is unemployed while 53 per cent live under the poverty line in what has been described as one of the worst humanitarian situations in the world A decade later Israel continues to shirk responsibility for its actions Earlier this month an Israeli court ruled against Izzeldin Abuelaish a Palestinian doctor who lost three of his daughters during an Israeli air strike on his home in Jabalia in the north of the Strip Abuelaish’s story was made famous after he discovered that his children — 13-year-old Bessan 15-year-old Mayar and 20-year-old Aya – had been killed while he was speaking to an Israeli TV channel his suffering was broadcast live across the country and later shared widely around the world Despite Abuelaish’s grief and the international attention his story received the court still ruled that Israel bore no responsibility for the girls’ deaths instead calling it an “unfortunate side effect” of the war RELATED READING: List of all Palestinians and Israelis killed since September 2000 Gideon Levy: Israel Loves Wars Kill and Kill and Kill Leahy Law would cut aid to Israel but no one wants to enforce it Source Article from « Older Entries

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